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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78936-78937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30558]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Availability 
and Request for Comment on the Draft Environmental Assessment for the 
Houston Spaceport, City of Houston, Harris County, Texas

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:  Notice of Availability, Notice of Public Comment Period, 
Notice of Public Meeting, and Request for Comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA; 42 United States Code 4321 et seq.), Council on 
Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations (40 Code of Federal 
Regulations parts 1500 to 1508), and FAA Order 1050.1E, Change 1, 
Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, the FAA is announcing 
the availability of and requesting comments on the Draft Environmental 
Assessment for the Houston Spaceport (Draft EA).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel Czelusniak, Office of 
Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Ave. SW., Suite 325, Washington, DC 20591; phone (202) 
267-5924; or email houstonspaceportEA@houstontx.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EA was prepared to analyze the 
potential environmental impacts of Houston Airport System's (HAS's) 
proposal to establish and operate a commercial space launch site at the 
Ellington Airport (EFD), in Houston, Texas and offer the site to 
prospective commercial space launch operators for the operation of 
horizontal take-off and horizontal landing Concept X and Concept Z 
reusable launch vehicles (RLVs). To operate a commercial space launch 
site, HAS must obtain a commercial space launch site operator license 
from the FAA. Under the Proposed Action addressed in the Draft EA, the 
FAA would: (1) Issue a launch site operator license to HAS for the 
operation of a commercial space launch site at EFD; (2) issue launch 
licenses to prospective commercial space launch operators that would 
allow them to conduct launches of horizontal take-off and horizontal 
landing Concept X and Concept Z RLVs from EFD, and (3) provide 
unconditional approval to the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) modifications 
that reflect the designation of a spaceport boundary and construction 
of planned spaceport facilities and infrastructure. Proposed launch 
operations would begin in 2015 and continue through 2019 in accordance 
with the terms of the launch site operator license. HAS proposes to 
provide RLV operators the ability to conduct up to 50 launches and 
landings (or 100 operations) per year, with approximately five percent 
of the operations expected to occur during night-time hours.
    The Draft EA addresses the potential environmental impacts of 
implementing the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative. Under 
the No Action Alternative, the FAA would not issue a launch site 
operator license to HAS, and thus no launch licenses to individual 
commercial space launch vehicle operators to operate at EFD. Also, 
there would be no need to update the EFD ALP, and thus there would be 
no FAA approval of a revised ALP. Existing operations would continue at 
EFD, which is currently classified as a commercial primary small-hub 
airport.
    The environmental impact categories considered in the Draft EA 
include air quality; climate; coastal resources; compatible land use; 
Department of Transportation Act: Section 4(f); fish, wildlife, and 
plants; floodplains; hazardous materials, pollution prevention, and 
solid waste; historical, architectural, archaeological, and cultural 
resources; light emissions and visual impacts; natural resources and 
energy supply; noise; socioeconomics, environmental justice, and 
children's environmental health and safety risks; water quality; and 
wetlands. The Draft EA also considers the potential cumulative 
environmental impacts.
    The FAA has posted the Draft EA on the FAA Office of Commercial 
Space Transportation Web site: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/documents_progress/.
    A paper copy and electronic version (CD) of the Draft EA may be 
reviewed for comment during regular business hours at the following 
libraries:

 Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library, 16616 Diana 
Lane, Houston, TX 77062
 Friendswood Public Library, 416 South Friendswood Drive, 
Friendswood, TX 77546
 Alvin Library, 105 South Gordon Street, Alvin, TX 77511
 Hitchcock Public Library, 8005 Barry Avenue, Hitchcock, TX 
77563

    The FAA will hold an open house public meeting to solicit comments 
from the public concerning the scope and content of the Draft EA. 
Details of the meeting are as follows:

 January 22, 2015, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Space Center 
Houston, Silvermoon Conference Room (1st floor), 1601 NASA Parkway, 
Houston, TX 77058

    The public will be able to speak to project representatives one-on-
one and submit written comments and/or provide oral comments to a 
stenographer. Oral and written comments are weighted evenly.

DATES: The FAA encourages all interested parties to provide comments 
concerning the scope and content of the Draft EA. To ensure that all 
comments can be addressed in the Final EA, comments on the draft must 
be received by the FAA on or before January 31, 2015, or 30 days from 
the date of publication of this Federal Register (FR) notice, whichever 
is later.
    Comments should be as specific as possible and address the analysis 
of potential environmental impacts and the adequacy of the Proposed 
Action or merits of alternatives being considered. Reviewers should 
organize their comments to be meaningful and inform the FAA of their 
interests and concerns by quoting or providing specific references to 
the text of the Draft EA. Matters that could have been raised with 
specificity during the comment period on the Draft EA may not be 
considered if they are raised for the first time later in the decision 
process. This commenting procedure is intended to ensure that 
substantive comments and concerns are made available to the FAA in a 
timely manner so that the FAA has an opportunity to address them.

ADDRESSES: Please submit comments in writing to Mr. Daniel Czelusniak, 
Office of Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation 
Administration, 800 Independence Ave. SW., Suite 325, Washington, DC 
20591, or by email at houstonspaceportEA@houstontx.gov.

[[Page 78937]]

    Issued in Washington, DC on December 22, 2014.
Daniel Murray,
Manager, Space Transportation Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-30558 Filed 12-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-13-P
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